UAE: 4 or 5 Days Off for Eid Al Adha; Holiday Explained Ahead of Moon Sighting

Eid Al Adha is an Islamic festival that a three day holiday is celebrated annually in the UAE, which is in mid-June, but the moon sighting will take place on Thursday 6th June 2013. The  ‘adkaar’ will be on Friday or Saturday, marking one to two days off during the week, plus the weekend, or four or five days in total. The holiday is awarded for the Islamic religious – Arafah Day – one days of the Week and the Eid Al Adha celebrations – three days of the week. They are on the Islamic calendar that is based on Hijri calendar months that start and end depending on the sighting of the crescent moon. As for the majority of countries in the Arab world, including the UAE, to set the start of a new, one will search for the crescent moon on the night of 29 Dhul Qa’adah in the Hijri calendar, which corresponds to June 6. If spotted, the month after — Dhul Hijjah — begins the next day (June 7), and the Pilgrim season ends six days after the authorities announce its start. If not, the month begins on June 8. Based on these two scenarios, here’s when the Eid break will be: The lunar calendar shows that if the crescent of the Moon is sighted on June 6 Dhul Hijjah fasts start the next day: on June 7. Arafah Day – June 15 (Dhul Hijjah 9 and Eid Al Adha – on June 16 (Dhul Hijjah 10). The break then will be from saturday the 15 of June to Tuesday the 18 of June. In a week, Saturdays and Sundays are considered to be Saturday week, and this break arrangement provides residents with two weekdays off. If the Moon is not spotted on June 6: Shawwal starts in 8 th of June and Dhul Hijjah will begin on 8 th of July. Arafah Day or Arafat Day is on 16th of June, in the Islamic calendar- Dhul Hijjah 9. Therefore, Eid Al Adha is on June 17 (Dhul Hijjah 10). Thus, the break is from Sunday, June 16, until Wednesday, June 19. If adding Saturday, June 15, in the holiday calendar, it means that the festival, will cost five days off as a recall.